A report released Tuesday by the Philadelphia City Controller on soda tax revenue has re-opened debate over the spending and motivation of the controversial measure. When the report raised concerns on how the money is being held before allocation, the city’s administration defended their methodology and made some accusations of their own.

The Controller’s office reported the total revenue from the tax since its inception in 2017 at $137 million through September 2018, the start of fiscal year 2019 on programs, while over $101 million remained in the General Fund.

While leaving open future action from the state legislature, the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court upheld Philadelphia’s soda tax Wednesday.

The tax, signed into law in 2016, was levied by the city to fund additional education investments. It was then challenged by restaurant industry groups and local business people as a violation of a 1932 state law that granted the city the right to tax anything without a state levy.

On Tuesday afternoon the House Commerce committee brought up House Bill 2241, Rep. Mark Mustio's (R-Allegheny) bill that preempts local taxation of sweetened beverages in Pennsylvania. It prohibits any municipality from levying such a tax while invalidating the current soda tax in Philadelphia.

The bill passed out of committee but not before Rep. Curtis Thomas (D-Philadelphia), minority chairman of the committee, brought up his concerns and offered amendments. Following the vote he spoke with the PLS Reporter about what happens now.